Pomoca's journey to Patrouille des Glaciers

TRAINING PERIODIZATION

When planning your training for a specific race, the first thing you need to do is to break down your season in periods, mesocycles and cycles. A cycle will typically last 4 weeks. A mesocycle is the equivalent of a given succession of cycles and a period is the equivalent of a given succession of mesocycles.

EXEMPLE OF PERIODIZATION FOR THE PDG

Starting from December through April, we have 20 weeks to prepare the race. The first mesocycle will focus on general preparation. It will be made of two cycles (base 1 and base 2) each consisting of 4 weeks. The total charge of training will increase progressively for 3 weeks and will end with a recovery week. Low intensity is key to build a solid base. The second mesocycle will focus on specific preparation. It will  be made of three cycles (build 1, build 2 and build 3) of 4 weeks each except for build 3. Volume will progressively decrease while intensity will raise. We will then end the preparation with two weeks of tapering where volume will fall but we’ll keep a certain intensity.

POLARIZED TRAINING

This balance can be achieved through the principle of polarized training. This training principle is based on a relatively straightforward rule to remember, namely the 80-20 rule.
80% of the training should be performed ≤ Ventilatory Threshold 1 (VT1). The remaining 20% should be performed ≥ Ventilatory Threshold 2 (VT2). For an athlete training four times a week, it would be prudent to incorporate three low-intensity training sessions and one interval training session. Excessive high-intensity training could yield counterproductive results.
VT1 and VT2 are physiological values determined through a standardized laboratory exercise test. However, a useful practical indicator for VT1 is a pace at which a conversation can be comfortably maintained without breathlessness. VT2 corresponds to a pace that you can sustain for approximately 30 to 60 minutes.